Friday, April 30, 2010

Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day! NSD (as it is commonly known) is typically celebrated on or around May 1st and this year is no exception. It's a great way to celebrate this great hobby whether alone or with a group of other scrappers. You may have events happening in your own area, but I thought I would highlight a few fun things you can see or do online;

National Scrapbooking Day is a website that lists many live and onine events and is hosting 2 hour sketches, blog hops etc. There is so much to choose from here that you may never get to any of these other links!

Jessica Sprague is having a great four day celebreation featuring crops, challenges, digital freebies, and a sale on products. Drop by to participate or even take an online digital scrapbooking class.

My favorite scrpbooker of all time, Stacy Julian, is guest blogging on Creting Keepsakes blog as part of their countdown to NSD. Have a read and get inspired...oh and get a free font as well!

Have an iPhone? Get a new app! Bazzill has a great new app that lets you match 100's of colors of their fabulous paper. What a great tool to take shopping! And Scrapbooks etc. has a great app that let's you sort and scrap on the go. (Search the app store on your phone for these great apps.)

Elle's studio has a fun weekend planned with lots of giveaways and sales of their amazing products.

Don't know where to start? Use a sketch! Sketcher extraordinaire Becky FLeck has TONNES of sketches to get your mojo flowing. And there is a new sketch and contest over on her blog. Why not scrap based on the sketch and submit it? You just might win!

What are you going to do? Maybe organize your stash and make a space for creating? Sort some photos? Make a layout? It's not too late to get some friends together for a pot luck lunch and crop, or simply cherish some alone time and enjoy working with yummy papers and embellies!

And what am I going to do to celebrate NSD? Hole up in my scrap space (with lots of candy and diet coke of course!), clean up a bit first and then work on completing my Week in the Life project. I'll probably finish the last post (only a week late!) here on the blog and then get to work scrapping all the photos I took that week! I can't wait to do some scrapping for myself...I always seem to be working on the next kit or planning for our next event!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Jamie, one of our superb DT members has crafted something special to share with you! She created a cut file for a wonderful little pyramid shaped favour box that would be perfect to make for Mother's Day! It would be great for a small gift or even some sweets and treats, and what a pretty presentation it would make. Of course it would also be lovely as a wedding or party favour box...just change out the paper you cut it from!

It can be a little bit country...

...or a little more contemporary...

...just change up the paper and coordinating ribbon you use to suit the recipient and/or occasion. So cute! Thanks so much Jamie!

If you want to grab the SVG file for this box, click here.If you want the Sure Cuts a Lot File, click here.

Enjoy...and if you create one, we'd love to see it! Send us a pic by email or a link to your blog post/online photos gallery! We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I just finished transfering the last of the files (if you are a follower, sorry you got 20 posts in your reader today!)

Anyway...I think I just have a to tweak a few links and photos that didn't make the transfer, but all in all we're done!

My husband was a star helping me make the switch from a hosted site to the blog format. I used to use Wordpress which had tonnes of features, but I needed something quicker and simpler so I could keep up. It was lots of work, but I think it was worth it.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope you stick around to see what's new and upcoming! Watch for a great new free template from Jamie (tomorrow) and tours of our DT's scrap spaces (starting soon).

Oh, and if you find any links that are incorrect or missing, please let me know!

This plan was featured in our September 2009 E-Zine newsletter (Psst…would you like to receive a copy each month? Sign up just over to your left in the sidebar! It’s free and full of lots of great ideas each month!)

The plan use three photos mounted on a page within a page, so it’s a great plan to use with an overall patterned paper for the background. Here is a layout using the plan that features our Page Pak "All Star Student".

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This plan was created to showcase a larger focus photo. Normally I like to include a lot of photos on a page, but sometimes I’ll order a 5×7 copy of a photo I really like, and the semi-annual portraits I have taken of my boys also include some 5 x 7 prints. This is a very simple plan – simply mount the photo, a block of patterned (or contrasting solid) paper onto an 11.5 inch square background paper, add three embellishments and a spot for journaling. Consider finishing the edges with stitching or distressing with ink to make each piece stand out from the background.

The plan shows rectangular and square shapes, but you could make it much softer looking by rounding the corners of the photo, title block and background paper. You could also flip or rotate it – it’s very versatile!

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan features three 3.5 x 5 photos arranged in a blocked style. This style is very simple, clean-lined and easy to achieve. First, imagine that you are filling up a geometric shape like a square or rectangle. Place your photos down within the borders of your imaginary shape, keeping them close together and maintaining the same amount of space in between each. Add pieces of patterned paper to the empty spaces, again leaving the same amount of space (or “margins”) in between the photos and paper shapes. This is a great way to use up scraps and you can use the same paper in the empty spaces (as shown in the sample layout) or choose scraps that are different but still coordinate.

Add a title, three embellishments of your choice and some handwritten journaling along the side of the pictures and you are done!

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

You can get your photos scrapped fast if you use 4 x 6 images as is without cropping them.

This page plan features 4, 4 x 6 photos (2 vertical and 2 horizontal) arranged in a simple, linear design. A couple of strips of patterned paper along the side of each vertical photos provides visual interest. There is also space to journal above and below the photos. The tag or bookplate at the bottom of the page plan for the title could easily be placed at the top of the layout for a change.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

A nice balanced page plan featuring one of the very trendy shaped papers as a base for a tidy little block of title, photos and journaling. Try using a pre-made shaped paper, or get out those decorative scissors or border punches to create your own scalloped paper. Add a trio of embellishments and you have a great fast page.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This simple asymmetrical page plan features four equal spaces for photos, a journaling spot and a wrap around title. The bands on the side and bottom could be made of patterned or solid paper, ribbon or decorative-edged borders.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

Here is a quick page plan suitable for two focus photos, journaling and title. Simple, symmetrical and easy!

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan features strips of paper or ribbons as a backdrop for a focal point 5 x 7 photo. There is also room for two supporting 3 x 3 photos, a title and journaling space. The effect you get from layering a variety of papers or ribbons creates a lot of interest and texture.

Bonus Tip: You can add even more texture to your layout by adding stitching (real or fake) and 3-dimensional embellishments such as buttons, chipboard or felt shapes.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

When I was an art teacher, asymmetry was one of the most difficult design principles for my students to master. But all you really need to know about asymmetry is that the two sides of an object (or layout in the case of scrapbooking) are NOT mirror images of each other. One side is slightly off centre but is balanced by elements on the other side, producing an interesting, dynamic and visually pleasing design. In this case, the off-centre background papers are balanced by the title and white space, as well as the placement of the three photos.

To make this asymmetrical layout, first cut the two pieces of patterned or solid background paper – one is 3.5 inches x 11.5 inches and the other is 7.5 inches by 11.5 inches. Mount them as shown.

Place three horizontally oriented 4 x 6 photos as shown and mount. Make sure to leave one edge of the photo on the right side of the layout open so you can slip a journaling tag into it.

Bonus Tip: You can easily make a tag by cutting a piece of cardstock to 3 x 5.5 inches. Round the corners and punch a hole in the top centre. Add some ribbon to pull it out from behind the photo. If you have never tried using hidden tags for journaling give it a shot. You can write something that may be a little more private and only invite certain people to pull out the tag. Otherwise it looks like a cute embellishment peeking out from behind the photo.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

Here is a great plan for a two page spread. Two page layouts are useful for scrapbooking subjects that you have many photos of, as in the “Road Trip” featured sample layout. They also provide a nice sense of continuity across the two pages in an open album.

This plan provides spaces for eight photos – four 2.5 x 4 vertical and four 4 x 4 squares, a large block on the side of the photos for journaling and a good amount of white space for the title or embellishments. It is asymmetrical and the photo block in the middle spans the two pages.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This free scrapbooking page plan features circles that can be used in a variety of ways – as photos, journaling boxes or embellishments. In this sample plan, the title was moved off to one side and a few extra transparent vellum circles were added around the page. The three smaller circular spaces were used for cute coordinating embellishments. This is one of the few page plans that doesn’t have dedicated space journaling (the title speaks for itself in the sample page) but you could add journaling within any of the circles, around the outside of a circle or along any of the straight edges.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This free page plan capitalizes on a hot trend right now in scrapbooking – the bracket or flourish. This shape can be found in all sizes of paper, embellishments and pre-made journaling boxes. Because it is a die cut shape is is more expensive to manufacture, therefore papers of this style are more expensive than regular patterned paper. You can easily make your own by purchasing one piece of the paper, tracing it onto a piece of chipboard and using the chipboard as a template for future use.

The sketch allows for three 4 x 6 photos as well as a journal box and title. Customize your layout by adding extra embellishments that suit the style or theme of the page, as in the “First Bites” layout shown beneath the page plan.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This free page plan with it’s rounded corners offers a nice change from straight edges and linear feaures. There is room for a 5 x 7 photo, a 4 x 6 photo and up to four smaller pictures, journaling or embellishments, all with soft, rounded edges. A corner rounder is a great tool to easily round edges on photos and papers.

Notice that although the sample layout is about Halloween, it doesn’t use Halloween specific papers. Purple, orange and green papers were unified with a single patterned paper that had all three colors in it. By adding a small strip of green rick rack and ONE small Halloween embellishment it conveys the theme of Halloween. Tip: It’s much more cost-effective to purchase basic supplies that can be adapted to almost any theme.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This free page plan seems pretty and feminine with it’s scalloped border and floral embellishments, but remember that you can customize any page plan to fit your theme by changing the colors and style of embellishments used. The plan has space for 4 4×4 photos (or you can simply crop down regular 4×6 photos) as well as a title and journaling.

Scalloped papers, shapes and borders are very popular in scrapbooking right now and you can learn how to make your own scalloped elements with this easy tutorial!

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan features a tilted picture bar for a dynamic change of pace. The easiest way to create a tilted photo strip is to assemble the patterned backing paper strip and photos straight (horizontally), then turn it on an angle and mount it to your page. Turn your entire page over and trim off the excess. Easy!

There are three photos shown on the angled strip, but you could add more photos and have them run right off the edges of your page for a really dynamic look.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This easy but attractive plan fits four regular size 4×6 photos – two horizontal and two vertical – and comes together FAST because there is no cropping required.

There are three versatile circles – use them for your title, journaling or embellishments. Move them around on your page so they aren’t blocking anything important in your photos, just make sure you have three to create an appealing visual triangle that draws your eye throughout the page.

Use solid cardstock or patterned paper as a background – the choice is yours. No matter how many times you use this plan, each resulting layout is bound to be different and unique.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan creates pleasing symmetry and balance with its orderly, linear nature. It features three vertical photos (cropped just slightly), balanced by long strips for title, journaling and decor. It’s all mounted onto a solid cardstock background to form a square within a square.

The sample plan shown differs slightly - the corners at of the top piece of patterned paper as well as the bottom corners of the journaling strip were trimmed with a corner rounder for a contemporary look. Brads were added at opposite ends of the layout – a great trick to add balance.

Bonus Tip: The journaling was printed using Microsoft Word onto 8.5 x 11 cardstock in a landscape orientation, then cut into a strip. Using a larger piece of cardstock as the background and cropping all other elements to 11 inches wide makes this easy trick work so well.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan uses three wallet size (2.5 x 3) photos and one 4 x 6, and still has lots of room for a title and journaling (or extra photo). If you don’t have a photo printer that will print 2.5 x 3 photos or your local photo developer doesn’t offer that size, try an online developer or simply crop your photo down to a similar size.

The sample layout is embellished with lots of little buttons stitched in a row where the two pieces of patterned paper meet. (Tip: mount your buttons first with glue dot, then use a piercing tool to make holes for stitching. Then, use a double strand of heavier thread to quickly stitch through your pre-made holes.)

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This plan includes space for one enlarged (5×7) photo which serves as a focal point, a large space for journaling, space for two strips of patterned paper (to add a little color)and a title. And of course you could add embellishments as well. This is a great plan to use when you have a lot to say – highlight a special letter, program, invitation, list or story. It would be lovely as a tribute page about a special person, or a page showcasing a special event or trip.

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

This page plan is great for landscape photos which are oriented horizontally. A simple strip of patterned or solid paper frames up three 3×5 photos, while a single 4×6 photo commands attention as the focal point. There is room for a title and fun journaling strips. (Tip: if you journal on the computer, simply cut journaling into strips a few words long after printing.)

All Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans are copyrighted. Feel free to use these plans for your own personal use. If you would like to share these plans, please provide a link to this website. You may submit work to publications that have been created with our plans but please note that your work was inspired by Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Page Plans. If posting to online galleries, please also note that your work was inspired by our plans. Thanks!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Hi all! Sorry for the delay in posting the winners of our Earth Day giveaway...we had a freakish snow storm yesterday with very heavy wet snow that knocked out our cable/internet. It's still snowing this morning, but it's much lighter and everything seems to be working now. And I will have to get caught up and post the last two days of my Week in the Life series a little later on today.

Anyway...thanks to all who became followers or left comments. Apparently some of you weren't able to leave a comment because of an issue with the word verification. So sorry about that...thank you to those who emailed me about it. We had 14 new followers, 2 commenters and 7 who emailed me that they couldn't post a comment or that they posted about us on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks to you all for helping to spread the word. The site should be changed over to http://www.sharingmemoriesscrapbooking.com/ in the next few days and hopefully we'll be back at it!

So the winners of the printables/png files are:

Margie C.

and

Stephanie Zito!

Congrats ladies! Please email me your email information and I will get the files off to you later today or tomorrow. I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks to enryone for entering and becoming our new friends!

Next week we'll have some new Page Paks/Layouts as well as some tours of our Design Team's scrappy spaces!
Have a great Sunday and hope it's not snowing where you are!

Friday, April 23, 2010

This was the only day this week we didn't have somehting scheduled! It was just a plain old day...how lovely!

Grayson made a "person" out of his clothes before getting dressed.

When Sam was down for his morning nap, Grayson and I prepared the Happy Bag for school. What a fun take on show and tell...the child puts an object they want to share in the bag and has to come up with three clues and a word that rhymes with the object to tell the class. Based on this info the class has to guess what is inside. Grayson chose to share a favorite motorcycle toy...

...and we decided on these clues:

You can ride it.
It has two wheels.
It goes very fast.

And the rhyming words were, "odor" and "recycle". Good job! Grayson wrote the clues as I helped him spell the words. He has really come a long way this year in terms of his writing...he knows all his letters (upper and lover case) as well as his numbers. Writing is slow, but he is keen to do it and surprisingly patient.

After dropping G. off at school, Sam and I ran a couple of errands, including buying some boxes. What? BUYING boxes? Yes, they are used boxes and the guy will buy them back again from me once I am done! It's an inexpensive way to get heavy duty boxes that are all the same size and stack well. And although they will ultimately be recycled, it's nice to know they will get reused several times before that.

I also picked up the photos from the first part of the week so I can start getting them into the album.

I am so thankful for drive-thrus! I grabbed an iced coffee at Timmy's for me and an apple juice for Sam and off we went to pick up G. When we got home and Sam was down for his PM nap, Grayson and I tackled our Earth Day project - planting some seedlings! What fun! We are not gardeners by any stretch, so this was a bit new for even me! I had purchased a small seed starter and some seeds and hoped for the best.

Grayson followed the instrcutions very carefully. First we had to add water to the little discs of compressed peat.

It took a while for them to expand and we had to add more water until they were fully puffed up.Then we broke out the seeds. It was fun to see the different shapes and colors and of course we had to count them. We had Tomato seeds (very little), Sunflower (big and black) and Cosmos (long and skinny). Sam was up by then and was interested too.

Grayson carefully planted 2 or 3 in each pellet, just as we were supposed to do.

I put the lid on, labelled them and set it on the kitchen counter where it would get the most sun and warmth. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed. Hopefully we'll have a few that take and that we can plant at our new house at the end of May. (May 24 is the official first frost-free date here in Calgary...we are in Zone 3 so most plants have to be super hardy and most annuals can't be planted outide until then.)

Shane was heading out to a dinner meeting, so it was just me and the boys and some Mac & Cheese for supper. Baths and bedtime routine afterwards. I tried to get a photo of Sam and I after baths, but an iPhone is not the best for self-portraits and of course there is no timer. If Shane is home during the next couple of evenings I'd like him to take some better shots of our nightly routine.

I did get a couple of pics of Sammy settling down for the night: relaxing with his only bottle of the day...

...and brushing his teeth. Oh my, he's a cutie!

After the boys were in bed, I surfed a little as I am trying to find some quilts or comforters for their new rooms. These will be the rooms they grow up in for the next several years, so I want to abandon the theme bedding and get something that will grow with them.

I am thinking of plaid quilts...coordinating, but in different colors for each boys room. I am liking these from Designer Linen Outlet.

Waddya think? Anyway...surfing for bedding led to more surfing and I didn't get anything else done, which is why I am writing this post the day after. Sheesh!

About Me

Hi! I'm a wife and mom of two busy boys. I'm am art teacher by day and a crafty homebody by night. I love being at home or at our little cabin in the woods, organizing, crafting, cooking or baking and trying to make the crazy job of being a mom a little more creative and fun. Join me for my adventures in family life!